Interlude: The Reprisal
by Sidonie Greene
Summary: The Voidwolf has been defeated, and Captain Arianthe's crew has gradually drifted to the far ends of the galaxy. But when an old threat surfaces to issue a challenge to the smuggler, one crew member steps up and assists the captain in her goal to "give him hell". Set 12 years after the end of "Wandering Child".


_His captain had been quiet lately._

_Not that the captain was actually "his". The day the captain belonged to anybody but herself would be the day that Corso rode a tap-dancing ronto in the Corellian circus. But he liked to think that after spending two years in her service, the captain held some amount of affection for him._

"_Smuggler"_

"_Ace"_

"_The Voidhound"_

_The captain had been called many things during the time Corso had known her. The latter was new—defeating an Imperial Grand Admiral not only came with a reputation, but also with a call sign, it seemed. Her crew simply referred to her as "Captain", with the exception of Bowdaar, who usually attached a number of honorifics (which sounded more like the noises of a dying Uxibeast, if Corso was honest with himself). But Corso knew that in quieter moments like these, he could sometimes get away with simply referring to her as "Aria"._

_Aria had been quiet lately._

_Soon after the defeat of the Voidwolf, the crew had begun to drift apart. Despite everyone's insistence that they would remain with the captain, there simply wasn't anything driving the crew together anymore. Taking down Rogun and later the Voidwolf had given the crew a goal to work towards, and without it… well…_

_Guss had been the first to leave. No one was particularly surprised—he'd been with the crew for only a short while, and had never really adjusted to the more "decent" life that the captain had been trying to maintain. Smuggling, he could handle. Doing honest work for the Republic and their Jedi allies? Not so much._

_Akaavi was next. After killing Rook and assisting Aria in her defeat of the Voidwolf, Akaavi had taken her place on another vessel in Kirill's former fleet. When Aria commanded the fleet to fight for the Republic, a few of the vessels had broken off and gone their own way. Months later, after a chance encounter in Anchorhead with one such vessel, Akaavi had tendered her resignation. She too had difficulty placing her loyalties with the Republic—though she admired the captain for her strength and fierceness of spirit, Akaavi could never quite stomach fighting for "those too weak to fight for themselves". _

_To their credit, Risha and Bowdaar hadn't actively _wanted _to leave. But more and more, Risha was being called away by family matters—trying to keep the Drayen family dynasty running on her own. And when Risha had returned from a "business meeting" with the Hutt Cartel on Nar Shaddaa with a broken nose and two black eyes, the captain had pleaded with Bowdaar to go with her on future meetings (not as an insult to Risha's fighting abilities, but as a friendly reminder that the Drayen family was not unprotected). Bowdaar agreed, and as he travelled with Risha the two bonded unexpectedly. Bowdaar had made it known that he wished to help other beings like himself—those forced into captivity as he had been in the past. While Risha travelled from place to place, Bowdaar freed people where he could, and as a result those people often pledged their newfound freedom to Risha's cause._

_Really, it was a match made in heaven._

_But it still left the captain alone, with the exception of Corso. Not that he minded so much—he and Aria got along with the kind of ease that made the silence comfortable._

_But Aria had been a bit _too _quiet lately._

_Corso headed up to the cockpit to join her now. They were approaching Taris and Corsofigured he'd offer whatever help he could. Beryl had sent a message to Risha about some old artifacts that had passed into her possession—Drayen family heirlooms, apparently. Corso knew that Taris made the captain uneasy for some reason, but Aria had agreed to drop off Risha and Bowdaar anyway. The two would be gone for a few days, and Corso was wanting to know whether the captain was planning on staying planetside, or motoring as soon as she could—as was the case the last time they'd touched down on Taris. _

_Corso had just reached the archway to the cockpit when an explosion sounded above him and the ship pitched under his feet._


End file.
